Egypt has joined a Japan-led platform designed to accelerate universal health coverage (UHC) reforms, as the government looks to strengthen its health-financing system and expand nationwide insurance, the Planning Ministry said in a statement on Sunday. The UHC Knowledge Hub— a collaborative initiative supported by Japan and established by the World Bank Group and the World Health Organisation (WHO)—supports low- and middle-income countries through capacity building, policy design, and knowledge exchange. Egypt joins the platform's first cohort alongside Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, and the Philippines. The announcement was made during the UHC High-level Forum in Tokyo, where Egypt was represented by a delegation led by Planning and Economic Development Minister Rania Al-Mashat, who also serves as the country's Governor at the World Bank. The delegation included Healthcare Authority (EHA) Chairman Ahmed El-Sobky and Universal Health Insurance Authority CEO Mai Farid. The platform aims to strengthen countries' health-financing systems and promote investment in health as a driver of human development, economic growth, job creation, and resilience, the ministry said. It also brings together senior health and finance decision-makers to improve policy alignment and boost the effectiveness of national healthcare funding. Al-Mashat said Egypt's participation marks "an important step towards building a more efficient health system," offering access to global expertise, best practices in health financing, and evidence-based policy tools. The cooperation, she added, will help speed up Egypt's rollout of universal health insurance and ensure citizens have access to high-quality healthcare without financial strain. During the forum, Al-Mashat outlined Egypt's progress in implementing its universal health insurance system with support from the World Bank and other development partners, alongside a series of presidential initiatives that have expanded healthcare services nationwide. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English
